Describe something that you know how to do well. How do you know you do it well? How did you get interested in this topic? How did you develop your expertise? How do you hope to use this knowledge/skill in the future?
I thought about this prompt for a while. I have quite a few hobbies, not sure if I am an expert in any of them. I truly enjoy baking, painting, and playing tennis but don’t consider myself an expert in any of them. So the way I will answer this prompt is by what my closest friends and family would say about me if they were to describe me. My closest friends and family members would describe me as being compassionate and an advocate to those that have no voice - animals and children.
Since I can remember, being an advocate to those that have no voice, such as animals and children, has been a passion of mine. Since I was a small child I felt a strong desire to protect those that needed to be protected.
I was probably 5 years old, while playing in the garden of my house, I observed how hard ants were working; I was mesmerized by their diligence. Not long after there were indications that a heavy rain was heading our way. I ran to the kitchen and got bags and some pieces of wood. I ran back to the garden so that I can somehow protect the ant’s home from a potential flood. At that very instant my sister was observing me from the balcony; I just heard a laugh and comment that I was stupid.
Years later, while walking to the park close to my house, I saw two neighborhood kids shooting at birds; I got so angry that I started screaming at them. They were taken by my behavior because the person screaming at them was not the quiet and shy Marlene they knew. I made them realize that what they were doing was very cruel. I am sure my reaction alone was enough for them to realize the seriousness of their actions.
I felt so passionate about being the voice for those who have no voice that I became vegetarian and an advocate for animal rights. I founded an animal awareness club at my college, Florida Atlantic University. I encouraged many to be more compassionate to other living beings. I became not just an advocate for animals but also for children. While I was a volunteer at the Children’s Home Society I learned the struggles that abused and neglected children face. These children needed someone to stand up for them. I decided to do more than just volunteer, so I became a Guardian Ad Litem – I needed to be the voice for the most vulnerable children – I needed to speak for them in court.
How did my compassion to fight for those that have no voice start? I had exemplary role models that shaped the person I am today. I observed how my parents’ compassion made a difference in the lives of those that they helped. My mother taught at a school where the majority of her students came from disadvantage backgrounds. She became her students advocate whenever she suspected they were being neglected and/or abused. My father, on the other hand, spent his life treating disadvantaged patients. I recalled stories of the impact my father made in his patients’ lives and those of their family members.
As a teacher, this helps me be more empathetic and compassionate towards my students’ life’s struggles. While I was a teacher at an inner city middle school, I had students that could not afford to buy school supplies, so I provided them with supplies. Many students told me, that previous non-African American teachers told them that they were savages and even one teacher had a book on how to teach African American Children on her desk. Those comments made them feel inferior to other children. I made sure I made every effort to make them feel special: bought little gifts from the dollar store and made sure I recognized their birthdays; reminded them how special they were and how much I cared and loved them. I realized the impact I made on my students’ lives the day I told them that I was moving to Rhode Island. They made adorable cards, they cried as they hugged me to say goodbye and some parents even called me personally to thank me for everything that I did for their child. As a human being, I hope to continue doing the best I can to cause the least harm to other beings and make a difference in this world.
I thought about this prompt for a while. I have quite a few hobbies, not sure if I am an expert in any of them. I truly enjoy baking, painting, and playing tennis but don’t consider myself an expert in any of them. So the way I will answer this prompt is by what my closest friends and family would say about me if they were to describe me. My closest friends and family members would describe me as being compassionate and an advocate to those that have no voice - animals and children.
Since I can remember, being an advocate to those that have no voice, such as animals and children, has been a passion of mine. Since I was a small child I felt a strong desire to protect those that needed to be protected.
I was probably 5 years old, while playing in the garden of my house, I observed how hard ants were working; I was mesmerized by their diligence. Not long after there were indications that a heavy rain was heading our way. I ran to the kitchen and got bags and some pieces of wood. I ran back to the garden so that I can somehow protect the ant’s home from a potential flood. At that very instant my sister was observing me from the balcony; I just heard a laugh and comment that I was stupid.
Years later, while walking to the park close to my house, I saw two neighborhood kids shooting at birds; I got so angry that I started screaming at them. They were taken by my behavior because the person screaming at them was not the quiet and shy Marlene they knew. I made them realize that what they were doing was very cruel. I am sure my reaction alone was enough for them to realize the seriousness of their actions.
I felt so passionate about being the voice for those who have no voice that I became vegetarian and an advocate for animal rights. I founded an animal awareness club at my college, Florida Atlantic University. I encouraged many to be more compassionate to other living beings. I became not just an advocate for animals but also for children. While I was a volunteer at the Children’s Home Society I learned the struggles that abused and neglected children face. These children needed someone to stand up for them. I decided to do more than just volunteer, so I became a Guardian Ad Litem – I needed to be the voice for the most vulnerable children – I needed to speak for them in court.
How did my compassion to fight for those that have no voice start? I had exemplary role models that shaped the person I am today. I observed how my parents’ compassion made a difference in the lives of those that they helped. My mother taught at a school where the majority of her students came from disadvantage backgrounds. She became her students advocate whenever she suspected they were being neglected and/or abused. My father, on the other hand, spent his life treating disadvantaged patients. I recalled stories of the impact my father made in his patients’ lives and those of their family members.
As a teacher, this helps me be more empathetic and compassionate towards my students’ life’s struggles. While I was a teacher at an inner city middle school, I had students that could not afford to buy school supplies, so I provided them with supplies. Many students told me, that previous non-African American teachers told them that they were savages and even one teacher had a book on how to teach African American Children on her desk. Those comments made them feel inferior to other children. I made sure I made every effort to make them feel special: bought little gifts from the dollar store and made sure I recognized their birthdays; reminded them how special they were and how much I cared and loved them. I realized the impact I made on my students’ lives the day I told them that I was moving to Rhode Island. They made adorable cards, they cried as they hugged me to say goodbye and some parents even called me personally to thank me for everything that I did for their child. As a human being, I hope to continue doing the best I can to cause the least harm to other beings and make a difference in this world.